Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting of the Higher Scientific and Technical Commission in a renewed composition: with the participation of the leadership of leading research institutes, universities, large industrial enterprises and line ministries.

Head of the Government reported on the measures taken to reformat the work of the Commission with a focus on the interaction of scientists and business in the implementation of tasks outlined in the President's Address.

The Commission was presented a plan of scientific and technical work for 2025-2027 years, taking into account the previously given instructions aimed at integrating domestic science with the real sector of the economy. The Commission received 653 proposals on scientific and technical tasks, of which it approved the allocation of funds for 113 scientific and technical tasks for 2025-2027 in priority areas for the economy. Among them are ecology, environment and rational use of natural resources; energy, advanced materials and transport; advanced manufacturing, digital and space technologies; biological safety and others.

In addition, within the framework of achieving the goals set by the Head of State at the First Forum of Agricultural Workers on the development of agro-science, scientific and technical works on sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex have been approved. In particular, on increasing the productivity of the dairy sector, improving farming and crop production methods, as well as the development of environmentally friendly production; studying molecular-genetic regularities in the formation of economically valuable traits and biological features of the main agricultural crops; approaches for the sustainable development of horticulture; ensuring veterinary welfare, etc. The projects are supported through the support of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Support to the mentioned projects is provided through grants, programme-targeted financing and attraction of private investors in accordance with the norms of the Law "On Science and Technological Policy" adopted this year.

During the meeting, the results of joint work of domestic scientists with Kazakhmys Corporation, ERG, NAC Kazatomprom were also presented.

"To date, 6 major hackathons have been held with all major enterprises of the mining and metallurgical industry. About 200 scientists from almost 30 research institutes and universities took part. As a result, about 80 scientific and technical tasks have been formulated. We put forward 11 specific projects for the commission meeting. Thus, 10% of all scientific and technical tasks this year are the results of real work with large enterprises. It is very important that the renewed National Academy of Sciences under the President is involved in the work. The Academy of Sciences also analyses and examines scientific and technical assignments. All these tasks have passed a very strict selection," Sayasat Nurbek reported.

By analogy, work is being done with portfolio companies of Samruk Kazyna JSC.

Kazakhmys will be financed 4 projects: on the treatment of mine water for their use in production, agriculture, development of innovative and environmentally friendly methods of processing metallurgical slag, increasing extraction of free gold and gold-bearing minerals from copper ores, automation and optimisation of the ore dressing process using AI technologies.

NAC Kazatomprom JSC selected 2 projects for joint implementation: development of environmentally sustainable methods to improve the efficiency of uranium extraction and in-situ in-situ uranium leaching.

ERG is ready to finance the implementation of 5 scientific and technical tasks, including the development and testing of a set of technologies for the efficient extraction of scandium and other valuable components from deep-seated bauxite ores; innovative and environmentally safe methods of mineral processing; development of effective and economically feasible technologies to reduce the moisture content of bauxite at the mining stage; development of moisture-retaining materials to solve the problems of excessive moisture in bauxite ores and their transportation in high humidity conditions.

The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of these projects for strengthening the country's industrial potential and noted a number of priority areas of the STCU's work.

"The Head of State has repeatedly noted the importance of the development of applied science and close work of research institutes and universities with the real sector of the economy. We need to solve practical problems and come up with concrete solutions to raise the productivity of industries and the efficiency of the economy. These are the key areas we need to work on. It is necessary to support research and innovation activities of small and medium-sized businesses with a link to anchor projects of large enterprises. A number of our large enterprises are interested in this type of cooperation and, together with the Ministry of Science, have carried out high-quality work on the development of scientific and technical tasks. We must see the practical results of the application of scientific research," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised.

It was instructed to develop mechanisms to regulate scientific and technological policy in the centre-region-enterprise system, to provide for an appropriate indicator on science in the development plans of the regions. This will give a new impetus to the development of regional economies. Head of the Government drew the attention of business to the expansion of cooperation with Kazakh scientists in the framework of projects implemented with the involvement of foreign institutions. Exchange of experience is important for the further development of the domestic scientific industry.

Sectoral ministries together with big business was instructed to identify technological challenges for the development of applied science on sectoral scientific and technological councils. The Ministries of National Economy, Finance, Science and the Agency for Strategic Planning should develop indicators of regional indicators of output of products with scientific content. The Ministry of Science, together with the Atameken National Research and Production Enterprise, is to strengthen work on the introduction of new mechanisms of interaction between science and business.

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